Goals for 2016: more fly fishing and a lot of different species

There are permit in Sarasota Bay, and my goal for 2016 is to catch one.

With the new year upon us, it's time to set some realistic  -- and attainable -- goals.

One goal that immediately comes to mind is to do more fly fishing.  I love to fly fish, but don't do it nearly enough. I've made a concerted effort to do more and have done so since last summer. I've only spin-fished on a few occasions.

With that in mind, here are my fishing goals by species:

SALT WATER

Spotted seatrout: 500

Redfish, 50

Snook, 100

Tarpon, 10

Pompano, 20

Flounder, 25

Jack crevalle, 30

Shark, 20

Cobia, 1

Spanish mackerel, 10

Bluefish, 20

Permit, 1

False albacore (little tunny), 1

Tripletail, 1

Kingfish, 1

FRESH WATER

Largemouth bass, 100

Oscar, 150

Mayan cichlid, 50

Bluegill, 500

Shellcracker, 15

Stumpknocker, 30

Channel catfish, 20

Speckled perch, 20

Sunshine bass, 1

Suwannee bass, 1

As I catch different species, I will keep count and remove them from my list as I reach each goal. I think my goals are realistic and not too difficult.

I will write about my progress or lack thereof from time to time through this blog.

All of my fishing will be done via kayak or wading.

Wish me luck!

Night fishing produced snook, tarpon, seatrout and beat the July heat

If July wasn't the hottest month I've experienced in Florida, it certainly had to be among the warmest.

Snook hang out around dock lights and often are easy fly-rod targets.

With that in mind, we switched gears a little and got out on many occasions a couple of hours before sunrise in order to avoid the heat and get in on some fine fly fishing.

We've got launches on both sides of Sarasota Bay near lighted docks. That's where snook, tarpon, spotted seatrout, lookdown and occasionally redfish like to hang out.

Dock lights attract small baitfish and shrimp. Those critters attract predator fish.

For this type of fishing, I've found the best action usually takes place on the stronger outgoing tides. If that's not possible, then I'm satisfied as long as the tide is moving decently.

I take a couple of 7- or 8-weight fly rods, loaded with full floating lines and 9- to 10-foot fluorocarbon leaders (20-pound test). My fly of choice is my Gibby's Snook Shrimp, a pattern that has proven to be very effective for night action.

One of the neat things about fishing from a kayak is that you can get pretty close to the fish. That, in effect, eliminates the need for long casts.

When I get to a dock that I want to fish, I'll figure out which way I'm going to drift and position the kayak. I prefer my kayak to drift with the bow pointing toward the target.

I recently obtained my first NuCanoe Pursuit, a kayak that perfectly suited for night fly fishing. The cockpit is open and uncluttered. In addition, the Pursuit drifts true and isn't affected by wind as much as other brands of kayaks.

As I'm getting ready to fish, I'll pull 10-12 strips of line off the reel, placing them in the cockpit in front of my feet. That's plenty of line if you position your kayak no more than 20-25 feet from your target.

When I'm drifting, I place the paddle across my lap. That makes it easy to make a bow adjustment if needed. I can simply dip the left or right blade in the water to fine tune my bow.

With only 20 feet or line out and being so close to my target, false casting is virtually eliminated. All I have to do is pick my line up on the back cast and lay it down on the forward. I see too many anglers false casting four, five and six times.

The speed of retrieve varies. I've found the best technique is to simply let the fish tell you. Begin with  medium speed and adjust accordingly.

Another key is to watch your fly. Sometimes, snook, tarpon and other species will follow it almost to the kayak. I've had fish take the fly within five feet of the boat. I've seen anglers lift their fly from the water to make another cast while a fish was frantically trying to eat it!

Most lights -- whether above or below the water -- light up the area in a circle. While you'll see many fish in the light, it's not wise to cast right in the middle. I begin by working the edges and into the shadow line. You can work your way toward the middle as you go. If you chance a cast to the middle early on, you risk spooking a majority of the fish.

It's good if you have multiple docks. When you hook a fish or the action slows, you can move to another. You can always return to a hot dock. Things usually will return to normal in about 10 minutes.

The biggest problem I've found is keeping a determined snook from taking you under a dock or around pilings. When I hook a fish, the first thing I do is try to prevent it from running under the dock or around a piling. And, if I'm able, I will hold the rod with one hand and paddle backwards away from the structure. I'm way ahead of the game if I can get the fish out into open water.

I've perfected a method of one-handed paddling. It takes some getting used to, but is very helpful in these situations. I'll usually hold the rod in my right hand and paddle with my left. The method consists of putting the paddle shaft through a triangle created by placing my right elbow on my right knee.  It takes practice, but it works beautifully.

We've done pretty well on tarpon this summer. These are smaller fish, averaging about 10-12 pounds. They put on quite an aerial show. Luckily, tarpon prefer to do their battle away from the docks.

Snook are another matter. Their first move usually is to get back under the dock or around pilings.

You've got to prevent them from doing so if you don't want to lose your fly or leader. Put the pressure on them! What do you have to lose?

I've been successful in landing snook to slightly more than 30 inches. I've seen snook which I'd estimate at 35 inches or longer.

A fly-fishing Super Slam (snook, tarpon, seatrout, redfish) is possible. It's pretty rare, but can be done. It's fairly common to get the snook, tarpon and seatrout around the docks. On occasion we'll get reds in the dock lights, too. I've had a couple of clients fall one species short this year.

Most often, however, you'll have to get one or more species after the sun comes up. I'll usually paddle to nearby flats.

I got a Super Slam on a recent trip, but my redfish and trout came on spinning tackle.

I spent a few days in July fishing local fresh water. I fished Lake Manatee one day and did fair. I caught and released several bluegill and one hefty channel catfish on my Myakka Minnow.

I also fished Webb Lake south of Punta Gorda and caught a number of bedding bluegill on Myakka Minnows.

Pro fly-fisher Joe Mahler of Fort Myers joined my for a day on the Manatee River. Our goal was to target channel catfish on fly. It was slow, but we each landed channel cats.

Matt Sheffer of Muskegon, Mich., and his son, Noel, joined me for a morning off Stephens Point in Sarasota Bay. They were in town for the annual AAU National Baseball Tournament. The action was fair and we caught spotted seatrout, ladyfish, mangrove snapper, flounder and a snook on D.O.A. CAL Jigs with paddle tails, MirrOlure MirrOdines and D.O.A. Deadly Combinations.

I spent three days in Orlando at ICAST, the sportfishing industry's annual trade show. I worked the NuCanoe booth. NuCanoe was showing its newest kayak -- the Pursuit. It's a great fishing kayak and especially a great platform for fly fishing. Check it out at http://www.nucanoe.com/pursuit-fishing-kayak/.

I expect August to be a carbon copy of July. One difference, however, is we'll find schools of redfish on the flats. They school up in late summer in preparation for their  spawning run into the Gulf of Mexico. If you can find a school, you're almost guaranteed a hookup! Trout action will be fair over the deeper grass, along with ladyfish, jack crevalle and mangrove snapper. The best action be snook and tarpon around lighted docks at night. Of course, beach snook fishing is expected to be good was the weather settles and we get easterly wind.

If you want to book a trip or have any questions, please call me at 941-284-3406 or email me at steve@kayakfishingsarasota.com.

Steve Gibson

Southern Drawl Kayak Fishing

www.kayakfishingsarasota.com

941-284-3406

NuCanoe's Pursuit should be a big hit in the kayak fishing world

The author's new NuCanoe Pursuit on its successful maiden voyage.

I've always wanted to design a fishing kayak, but I just don't have that talent. I'll leave that to the folks with that expertise.

This tarpon was the first fish out of the new Pursuit.

However, I've paddled quite a few different brands of fishing kayaks over the years, and I've had a few ideas that I would like to incorporate into a fishing design.

Most of all, I've always wanted an open cockpit, uncluttered and simple. I'm a fly fisher and I don't need knickknacks, gadgets and gizmos that would attract my fly line like lead filings to a magnet.  I've envisioned simplicity. Clean. Smooth.

I do need a place to stow a few things, but that area doesn't have to encompass most of the kayak.

Comfort is also a must. You could have a great kayak, but it does you little good if your rear end is sore or your legs uncomfortable.

Snook on fly.

I found my kayak last March when NuCanoe owner Blake Young brought his new concept to town for a few days or fishing and filming.

I paddled the prototype Pursuit and fished from it for two days. I was impressed.

However, I'm even more impressed with the finished product. Young has come up with what I consider the finest "fishing" kayak available today.  You can check it out at http://www.nucanoe.com/pursuit-fishing-kayak/.

The Pursuit is a well-designed, well-planned fishing craft that is characterized by simplicity and clean lines.

In the Pursuit's case, less is more.

Let's start out with the specs:

Length: 13 feet, 5 inches

Beam: 35 inches

Height: 12 inches

Draft: 3 inches

Hull weight: 82 pounds

Max load: 500 pounds

One of two oversized redfish.

At 35 inches wide, the Pursuit just might be the most stable fishing kayak available. I'm not overstating when I tell you I can literally tap dance on the deck.

What is particularly interesting is the kayak features a total of 82 inches of Freedom Tracks distributed from the bow to the stern. There 14 inches of Freedom Track in the bow, 54 in the cockpit and 18 in the stern.

The ergonomically designed high/low seat plugs into the track as do a myriad of accessories.  You can add as many -- or as few -- accessories as you want. If you choose, you can add rod holders, cup holders, GPS holders, speaker holders, depth finders and other gadgets to your tracks. It's up to you.

Rig it as you like, but the proof is in the paddling. When I launched my Pursuit for the first time, I was amazed by the way it glided over the water. The boat felt swift and easy to control. It tracked very straight and was almost effortless to control.

The openess of the Pursuit is impressive.

One feature that is unavailable is most other kayaks is the Pursuit's paddle holsters. They're located toward the bow on the starboard and port sides. They allow you to quietly slip the blade into them and stow your paddle securely while fishing. The holsters are a refreshing change from your typical paddle holders.

Talking about stow, I can't tell you how impressive the Pursuit's four internal rod tubes are! I can stow four fully rigged fly rods out of the way and protected. You can't do that in any of the other kayaks I've owned.

While I'm a paddling purist, you do have the option of added a trolling motor or even a small outboard (It's rated for a 2.5 HP engine) to the Pursuit. The square stern is designed for those who prefer to power the boat in that manner.

The spacious kayak has plenty of room for a tackle crate, camera box, cooler and whatever else you might envision.

You can stow four fully rigged fly rods.

The gear vault in the bow features a hard shell liner and can hold whatever you like. It can serve as a cooler or can hold rain gear, first-aid kits, tools, etc.

The boat also comes with a pair of flush-mount rod holds behind the seat.

The only things I added were an anchor trolley system and a taco-style paddle clip for my 9 1/2-foot pushpole.

Some might consider the boat's weight to be a negative. That weight comes with the width and stability. It's a tradeoff I can live with.

And the weight is actually of no consideration when loading and unloading my kayak. I use a Transport Cart (which I purchased from NuCanoe). It plugs into the stern and makes transporting the boat to and from the water very easy.

I'm tough to please when it comes to kayaks. I've been doing this for a long time. When I first started to fish from a kayak in 1986, I was usually the only paddlecraft on the water.

It's different today. When you launch your kayak, you'll often see a veritable armada of plastic paddlers in your area.

If you're in a Pursuit, rest assured you'll stand out (and up) from the crowd.

The Pursuit is a simple design that will turn heads and put a smile on your face.

MAIDEN VOYAGE

I launched the Pursuit at the Buttonwood Harbor launch off eastern Longboat Key on Sarasota Bay a couple of hours before daylight. My plan was the fly-fish around lighted docks until dawn, then head out into the bay.

It didn't take long to "slime" my new vessel. I hooked a small tarpon on my first cast and landed it about five minutes later.

One cast.

One hit.

One tarpon.

Can it get any better than that?

It did.

I just five more tarpon and landed one. I also added a pair of snook.

When the action died at daylight, I paddled into the bay. There I was able to land a few small trout and a mangrove snapper.

At mid-morning, I decided to call it a day and head back to the launch. It has been miserably hot in this summer.

A funny thing happened as I paddled along. I saw a tail in 18 inches of water and made a few casts. I hooked a 36-inch bonnethead shark and landed it after a few minutes.

I decided to drift the area and make a few more casts. I caught and released a pair of 30-inch redfish.

My maiden voyage resulted in a rare Super Slam: redfish, spotted seatrout, snook and tarpon.

I don't claim to be the greatest angler in the world, so I just chalked up my success on this maiden voyage to the mojo of the Pursuit, the best fishing kayak I've paddled since in all my years on the water.

PRO STAFF

I am extremely proud to have been named one of five to the original NuCanoe Pro Staff. It's an elite group consisting of some really fine paddlers and anglers.

My fellow Pro Staffers include my buddy Joe Mahler of Fort Myers, Danny Barker of Citrus Spring, Drei Stroman of Fort Myers  and Graham Tayloe of Birmingham, Ala.

Since I'm a Pro Staffer, you might anticipate a positive review of the new Pursuit. However, I wouldn't be on the Pro Staff if I wasn't more than satisfied with NuCanoe. The last thing I want is to represent a product that I deem sub-par or inferior in any way.

Tarpon, snook and shark topped the list for June

This hefty blacktip shark ate a 1 1/2-pound live jack crevalle in southern Tampa Bay.

One word describes June around Sarasota: hot.

The fishing wasn't pretty close to hot, too.

We caught a variety of fish during the month, although we concentrated on tarpon and snook.

Jack Littleton's first fly-rod tarpon.

Fly angler Jack Littleton of western New York jumped three tarpon and landed one while fishing at night around lighted docks in Bowles Creek. It was Littleton's first tarpon. He also hooked a snook, but broke it off. There were plenty of fish around the lights, but the bite was off.

The next day, we moved to Manasota Key where our goal was to sight-fish snook (and other species) in the surf. Conditions were good and snook were somewhat plentiful.

Littleton hooked a monster snook early on, but lost it after about a minute. The fish was lying in a foot of water and took a Gibby's DT Variation. After the hookup, the big snook (we estimated it at 20-25 pounds) took off on a long, fast run.

"I've never felt a fish that fast and powerful," said Littleton. "I'm not sure what happened?"

Getting out early is a good way to beat the heat.

Rest assured, it was nothing that Littleton, an accomplished fly fisher, did.

Later in the day, Littleton hooked another snook and landed it. Although it was significantly smaller, it was the first snook of his impressive fly-fishing career.

Beach fly fishing has been fair. I made a number of trips during the month to Manasota Key and Casey Key.  My totals ranged from zero fish to 11. I saw an average of 100 snook per trip. Most of the snook were in the 20-24-inch range.

This action should only get better, with the peak month being August.

Jack Littleton hooked up to a monster snook.

Sight-fishing snook in the surf is one of my favorite ways to fish. If you let your mind wander, you can envision yourself on a remote Bahamian island.

In addition to snook, we encounter spotted seatrout, redfish, houndfish, mangrove snapper, flounder , Spanish mackerel and even tarpon on these trips.

If you're interested in fly fishing the beaches, here's what you'll need:

1. Cap or hat

2. Sunscreen

3. Polarized sunglasses

4. Proper footwear

I wear dive boots that I purchased at a local SCUBA shop. I like them because they slip on and off , have thick soles and are comfortable. I do not like flats/wading boots that have zippers. The zippers are usually rendered useless by sand and shell.

Sandals and tennis shoes are not good choices for beach snook fishing. The attract sand and shells.

Why should you fish with me? Couldn't you simply head out to the beach and fish by yourself?

Sure, you can. However, I know where the fish are at all times.

In addition, you'll probably have a tough time seeing the fish. I see them pretty darn good.

Bay fishing has been fair. We've been fishing mainly in southern Tampa Bay around Joe Island.

Tate Anderson of Sarasota and his girlfriend, Michelle, joined my for a Tampa Bay outing and we did fair. We totaled 40 spotted seatrout to 17 inches on MirrOlure MirrOdines.

I fished solo in the same area a couple of weeks later and did a little better. I caught and released six snook and a half dozen spotted seatrout on Zara Super Spook Jrs.  I also released a 5-foot blacktip shark  that I caught on a conventional rod and reel loaded with 30-pound braid, 60-pound wire leader and 9/0 circle hook. I used a 1 1/2-pound jack crevalle for bait.

Tampa Bay is among  the world's top shark fisheries. Common species are blacktip, bull, bonnethead, lemon, tiger and hammerhead.

We also fish around Fort DeSoto when we're targeting shark.

JULY FORECAST:  Beach snook fishing should improve as baitfish moves into the surf. We should not only see more snook, but larger snook. Night fly fishing should continue strong for snook, tarpon and spotted seatrout. In Tampa Bay, shark fishing will  be hot. In addition, snook, redfish, spotted seatrout, flounder and jack crevalle should please. In Sarasota Bay, I look for decent action on spotted seatrout, redfish, ladyfish and jack crevalle.

Yes, it's hot in Florida during the summer. However, we get out early or fish before daylight, so it's really not too bad at all.

If you're interested in getting in on some of this action, please give me a call (941-284-3406) or email me (steve@kayakfishingsarasota.com).

Steve Gibson

Southern Drawl Kayak Fishing

www.kayakfishingsarasota.com

941-284-3406

When the sun sets, grab your fly rod for tarpon and snook in the dark

A happy Jack Littleton of New York shows off his first fly-rod tarpon. 

Night fishing is a time for bright results. If you've never landed a snook or tarpon or fly, you should consider a trip after dark.

I've been fly fishing at night around dock lights for quite a while. And a few years ago, I began offering guided trips after the sun sets.

It has paid handsome dividends for several clients.

Recently, repeat client Jack Littleton landed his first fly-rod tarpon while fishing with me at night. He hooked two, but broke the second fish off. Dr. Everette Howell of Longboat Key and Nashville, Tenn., jumped six tarpon and landed two on a recent outing.

Other clients have landed their first snook, a fish that seems to be a tough one for most fly anglers.

In addition to snook and tarpon, we sometimes encounter spotted seatrout, lookdown, jack crevalle, ladyfish and maybe even redfish.

You never know just what's in store when you head out after hours.

I've had people advise me that they don't like fly fishing at night because "it's too easy. Like shooting fish in a barrel."

Well, we do have times when the fish are plentiful, hungry and aggressive. But it's not always that way. In fact, conditions change almost nightly and go from great to slow in a hurry.

And, anyway, what's wrong with being out there when the fish are aggressive and hungry?

Like any saltwater endeavor, we're dependent on the tide and weather. If I had my druthers, I'd select a night when the tide is predicted to run out hard. That seems to be the optimum time for good action.

In addition, it helps to have minimal wind.

But I've seen slow action on great tides, great action on bad tides and average action in both situations.

If you go often enough, you'll encounter that great outing.

There are a number of keys to success:

1. Get out on the water. If you don't, you'll never enjoy this type of action;

2. Learn to cast with minimal false casting. Since we're fishing from kayaks, there' s no need to set up 50 or more feet from your target. You can get as close as 25 feet. And at that range, there's really no need to make five or six false casts in order to deliver your fly to the target. Simply pick the line up  and put it down;

3. Kayak control. You're the boss and your kayak goes where you want and points in the direction you dictate. Fish with the paddle across your lap and fine tune the kayak's direction by dipping one paddle blade or the other and adjusting. Remember, wind and tide do affect your kayak. So, adjust accordingly;

4. Line management is critical. Nothing is worse than hooking the fish of a lifetime, only to lose it because your fly line catches on something or  knots up. Since I own a fleet of NuCanoe Frontiers, line management is a cinch. Simply let it pile up on the floor of the kayak directing in front of you. And because of the Frontier's open, uncluttered design, there's nothing for it to catch on;

5. The most critical thing is to keep a big fish out of the pilings. Since we're fishing around lighted docks, pilings stand in the way of landing a fish or breaking it off. The former is preferred. You have to keep the fish out of the pilings. To do so, you have put apply maximum pressure to the fish while paddling your kayak away from the structure. Sound difficult? It's not. I can hold the fly rod in one hand, and paddle the kayak away from the dock with the other. If I'm holding the fly rod in my right hand, I place my right elbow on my right knee. I take the paddle in my left hand and can paddle backwards by creating a fulcrum against the ribs on the right side of my body. It's pretty simple with a little practice. Remember, with the paddle across your lap, it's already in the triangle you create when you place your right elbow on your right knee. If it sound difficult, don't worry. I'll explain how to do it.

Fly choices are pretty elementary. I use just a few that I've created for night fishing: Gibby's Snook Shrimp, Gibby's Salty Myakka Minnow, Gibby's Night Minnow. I sometimes will use a Gartside Gurgler (a surface fly made of foam) when the fish are aggressive or ignoring other offerings.

I prefer an 8-weight fly rod with a matching floating line. I use a 9-foot, 20-pound fluorocarbon leader.

I have several spots around Sarasota Bay that are good for night fly fishing.

My ultimate goal is to guide a client to a Saltwater Super Slam -- snook, tarpon, spotted seatrout and redfish on fly in the same outing. This rare feat can be done.

If you've never caught a snook or tarpon on the fly, night time is for you. Just give me a call (941-284-3406) or shoot me an email (steve@kayakfishingsarasota.com) and you're on your way.

With a little determination and luck, you can check a couple of species off your fly-fishing list!

March fishing much improved; April looms brightly around Sarasota

Marti Meyers of Maine shows off a smile as large as the snook she caught.

March was much improved for the most part. We had decent weather and workable wind.

Rob Halupka of Toronto is tight to an Everglades oscar.

Robert Vandonick and his wife, Debra, joined me for an outing in Sarasota Bay off Stephens Point. Their goal was to test out the NuCanoe Frontier prior to purchasing one. They not only loved the NuCanoe, but also caught fish!

Using D.O.A. CAL Jigs with paddle tails and MirrOlure MirrOdines, they caught 30 spotted seatrout, ladyfish, jack crevalle and Spanish mackerel to 5 pounds.

Robert texted me an hour after the outing and informed me that had placed an order for a NuCanoe.

Another prospective, Bob Campbell of Connecticut, was up next. Bob was interested in testing out the Frontier as a fly-fishing platform. He was impressed. Of course, I believe the Frontier is the premier fly-fishing kayak on the market (http://gibbysfishingblog.blogspot.com/2014/05/nucanoe-frontier-is-fly-fishers-dream.html).

Bob had a decent day, catching a releasing spotted seatrout, ladyfish and Spanish mackerel  to 4 pounds on Gibby's Trout Duster Fly.

Everette Howell, a retired neuro

surgeon from Nashville, Tenn., joined me for an outing on the west side of Sarasota Bay. Everette and his lovely wife, Sherry, own a home on Longboat Key.

I'm not going to tell you this outing was great, but we had our opportunities. We landed spotted seatrout, jack crevalle and ladyfish. We lost several healthy snook.

However, the following day, Everette paddled to the first spot we fished and had what he called "one of the best days I've ever had." He landed a number of snook .

He went out again the next day.

"I had another good morning today," he wrote via email. "Again, I appreciate more than you can know your showing me some of your techniques.

"I have enjoyed the past two mornings as much as any fishing I have done."

We found snook  in turtle grass just off a sand bar. We waded the area and cast MirrOlure Lil Johns on  1/16-ounce Norton Jig heads. The trick is to be able to recognize the difference between a hit and hanging up in the grass.

Topwater plugs and spoons also work well in the same area.

I fished Buttonwood Harbor on a solo trip and did pretty darn good. I caught 20 snook -- and most were in the slow or larger. My largest trout went 24 inches. Lure of choice was the MirrOlure MirrOdine. I also landed a nice snook and caught six flounder. The flatties fell for a MirrOlure Lil John on a light jig.

Dick Duerre of Minnesota had a fair day in the bay. The 86-year-old caught spotted seatrout to 20 inches, jack crevalle, ladyfish and a 22-inch snook.

"My best day ever saltwater fishing here," he said.

Rob Halupka, a fly angler from Toronto, Ontario, was up next. Rob, an accomplished angler, hooked a snook shortly after launching at Buttonwood Harbor, but lost the fish after a short battle. He then hooked a feisty jack crevalle on a Gibby's Trout Duster Fly.

From there, the action got worse. We worked extremely hard, but only came up with six spotted seatrout and a ladyfish.

It was one of the slowest days I've ever had on Sarasota Bay.

Action picked up tremendously the following day when Rob and I drove to The Everglades. We fished canals along Alligator Alley and caught fish all day long. Using Gibby's Myakka Minnow, we totaled more than 50 hard-fishing oscar, plus a bunch of Mayan cichlid, largemouth bass, bluegill and stumpknocker. We saw some peacock bass, but didn't hook up.

I was fortunate to be able to fish with NuCanoe owner Blake Young, who was in town to unveil the company's new Pursuit. The Pursuit is a 13 1/2-foot sit-on-top kayak that is more narrow than the NuCanoe Frontier and features a lower profile.

We fished Sarasota Bay on one day and on Tampa Bay the next. We caught spotted seatrout in Sarasota Bay. In Tampa Bay, we managed spotted seatrout, jack crevalle and bonnethead shark. We had shots at larger shark, cobia, big spotted seatrout and redfish.

The Pursuit is a perfect platform from which to sight-fish!

The final trip of the month include Tom and Marti Meyers of Maine. They caught spotted seatrout to 17 inches and a 29-inch snook that fell for a MirrOlure Lil John on a light jig.

APRIL FORECAST: I look for improved action on redfish and snook in the shallows as the weather warms. Spotted seatrout action should continue strong in the shallows and over deep grass. Night snook action should be good -- particularly around stronger tides. We can expect snook to start showing up in the surf, although this action won't reach its peak until mid-summer. Fly fishing in The Everglades should continue to be hot for those targeting oscar, Mayan cichlid, largemouth bass and bluegill.

April is booking up nicely, but I do have a few openings remaining. Please email (steve@kayakfishingsarasota.com) or call 941-284-3406 to book an outing.

P.S., I know where the tarpon are. If you want to catch one on fly rod, please let me know!

Steve Gibson

Southern Drawl Kayak Fishing

www.kayakfishingsarasota.com

941-284-3406

Buttonwood Harbor is diverse and offers many fishing situations

Map of the Buttonwood Harbor area with launch site and islands names.

I've been fishing around Sarasota Bay since 1975.

Fly angler Norm Ferris with a Buttonwood redfish.

First time was at Buttonwood Harbor, an interesting area about midway up Longboat Key. Buttonwood Harbor is one of my favorite spots in Sarasota, possessing a variety of situations that produce a plethora of fish.

I run Southern Drawl Kayak Fishing (www.kayakfishingsarasota.com) and fish Buttonwood quite often.

Following is the first in a series of my favorite Sarasota Bay spots and how to fish them.

BUTTONWOOD HARBOR

This is my favorite spot, an area I fish most. It's comprised of shallow grass flats, mangrove islands, channels, sand holes and deep grass. It offers many fishing situations which can pay off in most any situation.

Pompano often are plentiful around Buttonwood in winter.

The launch to Buttonwood Harbor is located midway up Longboat Key on the east side. It's difficult to pinpoint the location because it has no address. But there's an overflow parking area across the street from a public beach access. You can park there and launch your kayak through the mangroves. There's a small hotel/resort on the west side called The Beach (3465 Gulf of Mexico Dr.). The public beach access is located just north of The Beach. The kayak launch is directly across the street on the east side. There is ample parking.

The town of Longboat Key grades the launch a couple of times a year. However, rain often washes it out, making it somewhat precarious. Be careful. If you're launching before daylight, use a light so that you can watch your step.

Beginning fly angler Vinny Caruso caught a hefty trout.

There's a grass flat immediately in front of the launch. At times you can take redfish, spotted seatrout, snook and other species on the flat or along its edges. It's best to fish the flat at dawn and dusk with jigs, topwater plugs and jerk worms.

Be careful when paddling across the flat before daylight. Manatee like to sleep on the flat. Although they're docile animals, the can make quite a commotion when you paddle across them. I did that once and was amazed how easy it was for the surprised manatee to lift my kayak out of the water!

There are eight mangrove islands within the Buttonwood area. Two -- Whale Key and White Key -- are named. Whale Key is the easternmost island of the group. White Key is the northernmost. But I have named them all.

Beginning with White Key and running south, there are Black Key, Crabclaw Key, Red Key, Little Whale Key, Whale Key, Oyster Key and South Key. Most of my friends have learned the names so they know what I'm talking about when I discuss daily results.

My favorite area to fish is an grass edge on the south side of Whale Key. Redfish, snook and spotted seatrout. I like to fish this area November through April. It's particularly good to fish on a negative low tide. That's when I'll anchor the kayak and wade.

Fly fishing can be good along the edge. I will use a 7-weight rod, floating line and 9-foot leader. My go-to fly is my Gibby's Duster  Fly. Clouser Deep Minnows are a good choice, too. Any baitfish imitation will work.

It's along that edge where monster seatrout often will congregate. On one trip, a client of mine caught three huge trout from 6 to 7 1/2 pounds on topwater plugs. I had a morning where I caught several trout from 6 1/2 to 9 pounds on MirrOlure MirrOdines.

For redfish and snook, I like to use a MirrOlure Little John on a 1/16-ounce Norton Jig.

You can work the edge as far out as you can walk.

On the east side of Whale Key, there's a grass edge that's productive at times. There is a series of sand holes on the east edge of the grass that redfish, snook and trout like to hang out in at low tide. It can be a good area in which to sight-fish. Again, I like to anchor the kayak and wade.

When fishing sand holes, the MirrOlure Little John on a light jig works best.

Another good redfish area is on the south side of Red Key, a small island just north of the Buttonwood channel. This area is best a dawn. My lures of choice include a MirrOlure Top Pup or She Dog, Little John on a light jig or gold spoon.

The bay between Red, Crabclaw and Little Whale can be very productive on the incoming tide -- particularly if there are plenty of mullet on the flat.

A couple of years ago, I had Norm Ferris, a fly angler from South Carolina, out in Buttonwood. He wanted to catch a redfish on fly, but fish were few and far between. We fished a number of areas with little success.

After fishing behind White Key, we paddled south toward Crabclaw. As we turned the corner and looked in the bay between the trio (Crabclaw, Red and Little Whale), we saw a load of mullet. Ferris caught a pair of oversized reds in about 10 minutes.

I like to fish behind White Key to the north. Redfish love to patrol the flat at high tide. You'll also find a few snook there. Reds will also hang out on the edges of the flat at low tide.

Pompano, bluefish and Spanish mackerel are often caught in deeper areas just off the flats during fall, winter and early spring.

The main channel leading into Buttonwood from Sarasota Bay holds good numbers of seatrout, flounder, pompano and other species. I like to drift the edges there and cast jigs or MirrOdines.

Drifting any of the edges of many Buttonwood flats on the incoming tide usually results in plenty of seatrout and an occasional redfish.

Oh, there are a few tarpon in the area. About six years ago, I hooked a giant tarpon in front of South Key on a topwater plug. Tarpon often congregate there to feed on ladyfish, pilchards and whatever bait might be around.

I have also seen a few tarpon in the Buttonwood channels and out in front (east) of Whale Key.

I caught two permit along the south edge of Whale Key in the last year.

This past winter saw a remarkable run of pompano in the Buttonwood area. I found them in a large hole at low tide behind South Key and along the southern edge of Whale Key. We caught them on Clouser Deep Minnows (fly rod) and on MirrOdines.

Buttonwood is a large and diverse area. I fish it regularly and probably have more than 50 spots that I fish within an easy paddle.

If you're interested in the Big Two (redfish and snook), you want to concentrate on the flats, around mangroves or along the edges.

I prefer to fish the last two hours or a falling negative tide and the first couple of hours of the incoming.

If I'm searching for reds on the flats, one of the keys is mullet. Find the mullet and you'll likely find reds.

Clients often ask if the redfish are feeding on mullet?

Maybe.

But my theory is that the reds are feeding on whatever the mullet might be stirring up -- crabs, shrimp, worms, baitfish.

Just south of Whale Key and about 100 years off South Key is Helicopter Shoal. I've caught quite a few large seatrout along the edge of that shoal. At low tide, you can find trout and other species in sand holes atop the shoal and along the edges.

The deeper water off the east tip of the shoal hold good numbers of bluefish during the cooler months.

If you're interested in flounder, Buttonwood is the place. You can catch them year round, but you can actually target them in October and November. Just work sandy bottom off the edges of the flats with a D.O.A. CAL Jig and paddle tail or MirrOlure Little John on a jig head.

As you might have surmised, there's a lot of good fishing around Buttonwood Harbor. It's offers a myriad of fishing situations for a variety of species.

Good luck!

Southern Drawl Kayak Fishing photos

Here are some photos from various trips this summer.

Enjoy!

Tarpon fishing from a kayak isn't for the inexperienced

I remember dreaming about fishing for tarpon when I was a boy, growing up in Ohio. I dreamed some day I'd get the chance to do that.

I've now spent a majority of my life in Florida and I've landed several hundred tarpon and most on fly rod.

As many of you know, I am a professional kayak fishing guide. I get inquiries all the time from people who want to go fishing for tarpon. It's a popular pursuit here in Sarasota in May, June and July when the giant fish show up in the inshore Gulf of Mexico and roam in schools just off the beaches.

When I tell those who want to fish for tarpon that I don't do it, they are shocked and want to know why?

While I love to fly fish for tarpon, I'm not taking a client out there.

Those of you who are old enough to remember former Ohio State football coach Woody Hays, I'm sure you also remember what he said about passing the football? Hays said when you pass the football, three things can happen and two of them are bad.

That's about the same as tarpon fishing from a kayak.

Now, I have some friends who pursue tarpon from their kayaks. Realize, however, that they have been doing it for years, are very experienced and do it as a team effort. They don't go after tarpon solo.

But most of my clients aren't experienced and might not be able to even handle a 100-pound fish.

There are several factors you have to take into consideration. Our tarpon range from 50 pounds to more than 200 pounds. If one of them would happen to jump in the kayak, it certainly could result in broken arms, legs or even death. And a tarpon jumping into a kayak is not unprecendented.

If you hooked a hefty tarpon, the battle could last two hours or more. You might hook the fish of your lifetime a quarter mile off Turtle Beach and land your fish two hours later six miles off the coast. You subdue the tarpon, have your picture taken, release the fish, then begin paddling back only to find a huge thunderstorm between you and the beach.

The weather can and often does change in an instant. One minute it's calm and the next the wind is gusting to 30 miles per hour and the seas running 4 or 5 feet. That's not safe for any kayak.

Another consideration is sharks. When the tarpon are here, so are the sharks. These finny denizens of the deep just love to snack on tarpon. I was fly fishing in 1994 and hooked a big tarpon just south of the Venice Pier. After about 15 minutes, the tarpon started going crazy and was chomped in half by a 10-foot hammerhead. It all took place in just a few seconds.

A fellow kayak guide used to scoff at those of us who questioned the sanity of fishing for tarpon out of a kayak. Well, he no longer does it. While on a charter a couple of years ago, he hooked a tarpon and handed the rod to his client.

That's when a big hammerhead showed up and beging figure-eighting the kayaks. The shark then got bolder and began swimming under the kayaks. On one pass, the shark actually lifted the one of the kayaks slightly out of the water.

"That's when I realized it wasn't a safe thing to do," he said. "Never again."

Good kayak guides will carry liability insurance. I do. And I had to fill out a form, detailing the waters I fish. I don't think I would have been approved had I told them I took inexperienced clients into the Gulf of Mexico to fish for giant tarpon in shark-infested waters.

That brings us to another point: Is your guide insured? That should be one of the first things you ask when inquiring about a charter. If he's not insured, it might be best to find another guide. If he says he is, ask to see proof.

I've caught several tarpon out of my kayak over the years. However, they've all been juveniles that I"ve taken in the bays or in The Everglades.

My kayaks are Gulf of Mexico virgins and they forever shall remain pure.

Call me a whimp if you want. But you can also call me safe and prudent.

Fishing improves as the weather finally warms

The weather is warming and the fishing is improving.
After some unusually cold weather, I finally was able to get out. I did well.
Spotted seatrout and redfish are the main targets. Remember, snook season is closed at least until Sept. 1. Scientists estimate that nearly 10 percent of the snook along Florida's west coast were killed during the record cold. You can catch-and-release snook, but you cannot keep them.
That's OK! We're catch-and-release anyway.
I'm not sure how beach snook fishing will be affected. Last spring and summer, we had a wonderful time sight-fishing snook in the surf. It was a record year for us. I caught snook to 39 inches (nearly 20 pounds) and had a number of fish of more than 28 inches. In addition, I caught spotted seatrout, ladyfish, jack crevalle, mangrove snapper and flounder.
My best day was spectacular and certainly "once in a lifetime." On that August outing, I caught and released 15 snook to 39 inches, including six of more than 28. I landed three redfish to 32 inches. And I "jumped" three tarpon, all of which went more than 100 pounds.
My best morning was 41 snook on fly.
Beach snook fishing is all sight-fishing. We don't make a cast until we see the fish. I've been doing this for more than 20 years and I know where the fish are at any particular time. We use 6- to 9-weight rods, floating or sinktip lines and 20-pound leaders with 25-pound fluorocarbon shock tippets.
Our fly of choice is my D.T. Special (variation), the best beach snook fly I've ever used.
Back to the present ...
I've been getting into some large spotted seatrout. On an outing to Palma Sola Bay, I caught and released 25 trout to 6 pounds. I had many trout in the 18-inch range.
I fished Al Ewert and his daughter, Annie. Al manages a BMW store in Connecticut while Annie is a senior at UConn. Both are accomplished anglers.
They caught about 15 trout to 4 pounds in Sarasota Bay off Stephens Point. All fish came on D.O.A. CAL Jigs with shad tails. Fishing was tough, but their persistency was the difference in trying conditions.
On Wed., Jan. 27, I spoked at Economy Tackle/Dolphin Dive in Sarasota. To my surprise, a standing-room-only crowd showed up. And the audience was enthusiastic, attentive and asked a lot of question. I talked about cold weather kayak fishing.
I am scheduled to conduct seminars and tie flies Feb. 26 and Feb. 27 at the Grand Opening of Flint Creek Outfitters in Riverview.
I will serve as the Master of Ceremonies at the Lakewood Ranch Anglers Club's annaul Kids Fishing Tournament on Feb. 27.
On March 18, I will speak at the Suncoast Fly Fishers in St. Petersburg.
Fishing is improving. We're keeping our fingers crossed that the sun shines and the wind is calm.